I've compiled a list of some of the youtube channels that I have found to be very useful or that others have recommended to me. There is tons of great learning to be had and even if you think you know your stuff, I'm sure there are still a ton of new tips/tricks that will help you out. Take a look and feel free to share with your friends, or recommend more channels for me to add here! 
Thanks,
​- Jacob

Warren Marshall - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5dRrOarPI6ufGWsabG28FQ
Unreal Engine Channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/UnrealDevelopmentKit/playlists
Sam Jones - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJekoQFYfhHEjQbfvWf_E4g
DokipenTech - ​https://www.youtube.com/user/DokipenTechTutorials/videos
Playful Synapse - ​https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmU2AlFc9vO6xnw1DYvNM0Q/videos

I recently came across an article that I think will be very beneficial for those of you setting up your Environment renders and even for general art theory when creating your pieces. This article may be talking about photography, but the great thing about being environment artists, is that we can setup our scene and composition exactly how we want. So we are creating every picture we take. These tips help to set up the ground work for creating any beautiful 3D scene that we work on. Try to use some of these ideas and rules to apply them as you are placing assets, or even when you're creating textures. And start thinking about where you want your cameras for your renders, so that you can better apply these tips from the get go! There are some really helpful tools and basics! Enjoy :)

Credit to Sebastian Jacobitz for the article
Checkout his website here! - https://streetbounty.com/

Thanks for reading and happy rule of 3rds day! haha
- Jacob

Since public release in 2014, Unreal 4 has set and raised the bar for third party engines. It's now free 
to use and there's no better time to get creating on your own.

Built from the ground up, Epic's newest engine is capable of producing truly incredible 3D art visuals. Its deferred rendering, custom materials and advanced lighting techniques are perfect for pushing the engine – and your art – to the next level.

I've worked professionally in Unreal 4 since its public release and have discovered some fantastic techniques for creating and presenting high-quality art in-engine. Here I share some of my personal tips and tricks I use on a day-to-day basis to help you light, texture, and render your own beautiful scenes within Unreal 4.

In this 3D World's online Vault you can find video tutorials as well as models and textures to get started in Unreal 4 today!

​You can import textures via the Import button in the Content Browser. Unreal 4 supports a large variety of texture formats, from .tgas and .pngs to .psds and .jpgs. One important tip is to make sure normal maps are compressed as TC Normalmap to prevent visual errors in engine. Also be aware that if your texture dimensions do not follow the power of two, they won't stream or have mipmaps.

Download Link Here: More images and video
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/o6E2q

I have also created a simple breakdown for the scene, sharing some of the workflow and process if you don't have a chance to pickup the tutorial. Of course for the full experience the tutorial is highly recommended and well worth it!

Direct Download Link:
http://www.gumroad.com/purepolygons

Here is the breakdown, more images and youtube video....

https://simonschreibt.de/

Simon Schriebt, has a great blog, which he continually updates with workflow techniques and discoveries from modern day games. There are all kinds of in depth analysis of next gen workflows or in game artwork that is picked apart and made into breakdowns.

"It seems that these are “just” projected textures and not “real” shadows.
I hope you like these little tricks as I much as I do. If not, take the assignment and show us how you would go for it. :) Have a nice day!"
​- Simon Schreibt

Definitely check it out if you're interested!
https://simonschreibt.de/

Enjoy,
​- Jacob Norris

Fundamental Concepts With Substance Designer - by Josh Lynch
Artist Josh Lynch, whom I'm sure many of you have seen his amazing Substance Designer Textures, one of which I have shared here above, has created his first video tutorial! Sharing tons of awesome tips and tricks on how he makes the amazing works that he does inside of Substance :) Definitely check it out, it's a must see for environment artists and texture artists alike!

Continue Reading...

          Creating Tiling Textures is a necessary and crucial skill to have when it comes to creating Artwork for Games. Whether you are making stitch seams on a character, texturing a brick wall, or creating a Forest Ground, tiling textures play an incredibly important part in the process. One tool to create those tiling textures in is the incredibly popular Zbrush 3D Modeling/Sculpting Program.
          Most of you have heard of Zbrush and some of you have used Zbrush. For those of you that are either new to zbrush or have not heard of it at all, here are some quick start videos to help you learn how to begin the process of creating tiling textures within the program. Once you have a stronger footing with the program, feel free to get into the more advanced course that I have here on my website where we create a Forest Ground Tiling Texture from start to finish.

In the meantime, here is the getting started guide to creating tiling textures in ZBrush :)

Please continue reading for the other 4 parts of the series...